I'm toying with the idea of a blog describing a search for style in middle age (that's me) - to include of course watch style.
Are there any bloggers lurking here to give advice and encouragement?
Go for it. I published a fairly well-known and (very) personal blog for about three years (it was featured on US radio, and I probably got about 300 hits a day) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. That said, other media platforms have seduced many of the traditional bloggers away over the last two or three years, so I'm not sure whether there are still as many people publishing and following these days.Originally Posted by davide
Just do it, there's a blogging for dummies book and plenty of information on blogger. If you want it to be successful you'll have to work hard at it and sign up to all those tedious social network sites and plug plug plug...Good luck!
Go for it, we use Wordpress for one for the local allotment where we have a plot and one for the local gardening club, It's really easy to get going and you can blog about almost anything and it's free.
Post up a link once you get it going.
I did a weightloss blog a number of years ago.
It helped me focus on what I was doing as well as get encouragement from a whole bunch of people in the same boat.
It got a loyal following and got some media attention too (which I completely ignored).
Go for it.
I've always found blogspot very easy to use and the templates look smart. Easy to add your own designs too
Yes, but do some research and be sure to use a platform / host / software that makes it easy to write / edit / use photos (if applicable). You want it to be effortless; spur of the moment, as easy as writing a simple Word document or e-mail message. Avoid any platform that will have obstacles between the urge to write and the final posting!!
Good luck with it!!
Jeff
I am a Joomla developer
if i can be of any help PM me :)
Hi
Check the blogs in my sig' they are all made with blogspot. Easy to use once you get the hang of it (which takes about 30 mins)... then the next one you make takes 2 mins.!
Things to consider are:
1. Easy to get RSS feeds from the blog
2. Can you add analytics (like google)
3. Is the site optimised for mobile viewing
I know blogspot works on all these fronts, so if you want to "type & go", then look no further.
Thanks
deano
Blogspot is pretty good. Seems to have some foibles tho, especially when it comes to placing photos, and randomly highlighting text.
Wordpress is fine too, altho it doesn't seem to be quite as WYSIWYG as Blogspot.
The analytics are quite fun on Blogspot - breaks down the visitors and traffic sources pretty well. I find it quite interesting to take a look at them - see where they all come from and why (you can see search terms followed, for example).
I've not sorted out the RSS yet...
Good luck.
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement - I've actually already made a start on Blogger and want to see how it goes for a while before going global (or not). I need to develop a style, content etc, but the first couple of weeks are here for comment - brutal or kind - http://www.greyfoxblog.com !! I've written one post on watches so far, but plan to do more although they won't be to the standard of learningtofly and the others above.
I find the techie bits of it not easy, but my son, who has an adventure blog at http://www.exceedpossibility.co.uk has been a great help.
I'm not clear how best to use Twitter and Facebook to eventually advertise the blog - so any basic ideas there would be appreciated.
WordPress. Don't even consider anything else if you're any way serious about doing it long term.
I've been using WordPress since 2006, helping my wife to make a living from blogging.
WordPress isn't perfect, but it's the best option out there.
I agree, I use wordpress (see my sig), it's very good indeed.
My wife has a card making blog ill ask her she has over a thousand followers and has received over 200,000 hits in just over two years so it's quite a few a day :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You can post to FB and Twitter simultaneously (and to just about anywhere else).
On Twitter, start following people with similar interests - I see you like the Sartorialist (and who doesn't) - follow him, and look at some of the fashion Lists. Start Tweeting and mention your new posts - you may need to do this more than once a day, if followers are based in e.g. Australia, mainland Europe and the US - but try not to overdo it! You can also try sending the link to people you follow - e.g. ask @whoever what they think of your post, or respond to their Tweets / 'blog posts in a similar way.
Stick a link to Twitter on your 'blog so people can a) see your Tweets, and b) Follow you from there.
Hi,
It's another vote for WordPress! I've been blogging since 2006 and I wouldn't touch anything else. I terms of Twitter, think of it as 'microblogging' and make sure, as others have said, that the blog and Twitter are linked. There are loads of plugins for WordPress to help you do this.
But the most important bit of advice is 'content, content, content'! You obviously feel that you have something to say that others will find useful, interesting, entertaining (or a mixture of the above). But publish regularly to attract and keep your audience. Set a realistic target and write short, concise posts regularly rather than one, rambling post occasionally.
That said, I have really enjoyed writing my blog. It has become part of my job (which, as an academic, involves writing anyway) and I have been able to turn it into a small source of income too. You can read mine at http://www.jsavage.org.uk
Good luck!
Jonathan
Excellent advice Jonathan, thanks - and as a teacher I've really enjoyed your blog!
David
Guys, I'm only 31 and all this blogging, twitting etc fries my brain. I read a few posts about people making money from blogging. How?? I thought it was just a sort of diary that anyone could read? I dunno. :roll:
I suppose the point is that anyone can read it - and that means that if you have something interesting to say and attract readers then you may find yourself sent goodies to review or even may have commerce paying to advertise on your blog - and that all has a value.
Thanks David - the blog's really good by the way. I'd like to think I'm not too close to middle age yet, but there's plenty of interesting stuff in there that becomes more relevant to me every day that passes. I think a really interesting blog might be for you to highlight manufacturers of classic items, with the focus on those still producing really high quality stuff and you can never really go wrong with i.e. your Harris Tweed, RM Williams for boots, whoever your preferred shirts are made by, cashmere, ties, certain types of jacket, socks, whatever. Try to shy away from the obvious answers unless you are genuinely convinced of their quality. ie folk will bang on about Turnbull and Asser shirts all day but the two I've owned have been garbage...I suppose the point is that anyone can read it - and that means that if you have something interesting to say and attract readers then you may find yourself sent goodies to review or even may have commerce paying to advertise on your blog - and that all has a value.
I'll take 10% of the earnings on that one... :wink:
Yes, I'd like the blog to go that way - I'm pleased you see the potential of the theme despite your youth :wink: . Many thanks for the great suggestion.
Along a similar theme debunking myths about "quality" products would be very helpful (if not always most commercial for you). For example if I was doing a similar blog I'd be saying "I really don't feel T&A shirts are up to the hype and price, based on... ...you can get a much higher quality product for the same cash at..." - my view only obviously, but gives you the idea.
Also, the socks on the 11th December post - Want!
What's the best way to "sign up" to a blog to get all the posts? Just add it to my favourites and log in now an again, or is there a better way?
Glad you have found it useful David. Writing it has become something of a therapy in the current educational climate!
Use an aggregator like Google Reader and then subscribe using the RSS function on most blogs. This means the content comes to you in one place rather than you having to go looking for it all the time!
I've always wondered why TZ-UK doesn't allow RSS subscriptions though?
Again, excellent ideas - thanks.
I'm glad I came here for advice - I googled for help, but much of it is so technical it went over my head. This will be a long process of learning.
I've been looking for the past few weeks for a similar blog, one that focuses on style and the middle-aged man. There are scores aimed at women, but I haven't found anything specifically aimed at men as most fashion blogs are aimed at the young. Given the relative wealth of the grey-haired demographic this seems surprising, but maybe I'm missing something. I suppose one answer is that men of that age will spend money on a collectable watch, but very little on clothes! Hence the success of watch, car, motor bike blogs!
Here's my first watch blog post - watches are an important part of a man's sense of style so I have more planned. http://www.greyfoxblog.com/2011/12/vint ... aster.html
Anyway - much work and thought is still needed.
Checked out your blog today David and really enjoyed it! Keep up the good work. Looking good!
Yes very interesting David, I'll keep checking back for more
:)
Alan
Many thanks for the kind comments - very encouraging for a newbie!
Hope all well cricketer.
davide & cricketer in one thread - excellent - two good guys, whose posts I remember from long back. Good to see you're both still about.
Good work on the blog, David.
Cheers
Foggy
I've kept a blog since 2004, although recently I compiled the good entries (nearly all of them) into an e-book and purged it.
I used a blog package called Pivot, but I have my own web server. Other solutions may be better for folks without that luxury.
So nothing to see now? You must have been one of the first.
Foggy - good to see you around too - it seems a long time!!
Crumbs. Just checked my Blogger profile: "On Blogger since March 2002"
Must plan some kind of ten year anniversary!
Congratulations! I'm trying to recall when I first heard of blogs. When did it all start?
http://www.greyfoxblog.com
I've been writing a blog for the last few years and the best piece of advice I can give is to back up your content regularly, especially if you're using one of the free blog providers Blogger, Wordpress etc.
My blog was originally hosted on Blogger, until someone targeted it as a virus host, and Blogger just deleted my entire blog without warning - three years worth of content disappeared overnight. I mailed them for a week to try and get an explanation as to what had happened, but I never received a word in reply from Blogger. :evil:
I wasn't paying anything for the hosting, so I had no cause for complaint, but it was frustrating. Luckily I'd backed up my content so I only lost a couple of posts.
Rich.
Nice blog David. I too may have bought my last pair of trainers! The future is made of Tweed. :lol:
Blogspot for me. I can add on an app using my iPhone and add in a new post on the fly.
FMF
Good advice Rich, I'll look into backing up.
Thanks for the comment Tony - yes trainers are out except for the gym! :wink:
Nice to see you too Ian !
David - I'm enjoying the blog, keep it up and I'm sure it will be worthwhile. There is definitely a gap in the market for the sort of advice / comments you are hoping to provide
:)
Alan
Many thanks Alan and for the support!
It's been interesting to see the watch blogs I hadn't come across before.
http://www.greyfoxblog.com
Blogspot does look to be the best option out there I reckon. Mobile access is very important to me as I'm often without an internet connection.
http://indopilot.blogspot.com/
Check out my watchblog in my signature...
Some more interesting blogs.
With Tidpunkt and other foreign language blogs and websites, I'm always amazed how accurately the translator generally works.
And I now see how to add a signature to a post - I'm getting there after nearly six years of forum use!
My new blog passed its 1000th visitor last night so I'd like to thank everyone for the advice and kind words that encouraged me to go public and keep it going.
I've also seen some great watch blogs kept by members here. I will be doing a few more watch posts myself, but they won't be of the quality of some of the specialist blogs I've seen here.
I still haven't found another blog with the same focus, although they must be out there.
Thanks again to all!
Congratulations!
Has anyone produced a definitive list of watch 'blogs?
OT - While certainly not my metier, I had a go at a look book the other day on my non-watch blog, largely culled from my page at theFancy.com. But probably not *quite* your style?
I wanted to thank all those who encouraged me to get this blog going - there are a few here still following it.
After nine months Grey Fox had 100,000 page views and had a large piece in the Times magazine, mentioned also in Daily Mail online, Huffington Post etc.
If anyone is considering a blog get on and do it; it's fun!
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